u/solo13508

As someone who's gateway into becoming the Star Wars super fan I am today was in large part The Clone Wars, today is a very sad day having lost Tom Kane. His voice gave The Clone Wars what is in my opinion one of the most iconic intro sequences for a television show of all time and across all of his performances across Star Wars and elsewhere he absolutely proved himself as one of the best voice actors of his generation.

And while none could fully match the performance of Frank Oz as Yoda I think Kane came closer than anyone else could. Tom Kane's Yoda in The Clone Wars was a perfect blending of the sillier Yoda from the original trilogy and the more stoic Yoda of the prequels. And I think opening the series on a Yoda and clone-centric episode was really the perfect choice. Yoda's almost playful dismantling of the Separatist army combined with the beautiful discussion he has with the clones about their individuality and places within the Force serves as both a perfect introduction to this take on Yoda and the show's overall theme of the clones and their journeys into individuality and none of it would have been possible without the performance of Kane giving Yoda the energy of both the chaotic gremlin and the wise Jedi Master.

Kane clearly understood too that Yoda was a flawed individual as we see in his season 6 performance where he is made to realize that even he still has lessons to learn and that the struggle with his own dark side is a fight that he will never fully win. We all have that darkness within us but like Yoda we can all push it back when we must.

In conclusion Tom Kane took the Yoda we all knew and loved from the films and merged the takes perfectly while simultaneously making Yoda an even more deep and nuanced character through his voice. Rest in peace Tom Kane and thank you for making my childhood and so many others so filled with wonder and joy.

I'm just saying: Kylo's throne is not in Episode 9, the same film where Hux also happens to turn traitor. Coincidence? I THINK NOT!

Panels from Legacy of Vader issues 1 and 6

I'll see myself out now.

Jokes aside, The High Republic and Project Hail Mary are some of my favorite books from this decade so far and as I was watching some online reactions to the Hail Mary movie this similarity occurred to me lol. Geode and Rocky even both have their own nerd friends associated with them being Reath Silas and Ryland Grace.

Source: Charles Soule's Instagram.

Pretty please either Legacy of Vader 2 or Broken Blade, we're starving out here in the comic fandom!

I've been slowly going back through the FACPOV books and just got through Reputation and was reminded how much I enjoyed this short story. I think it captures the aura of OT era Boba really well while also setting up his arc in the show with references to his imaginings of what it'd be like to finally be the one giving orders someday and his growing distaste for the inherent distrust of others that comes from the bounty hunter trade.

I also really loved the references to War of the Bounty Hunters with the events of the comic receiving a light recap and even a bit of expansion with some extra conversations Boba has with Jabba and Dengar where Beilert Valance even gets a name drop. Always nice to see stories across the canon connecting like that.

The FACPOV books have often been used as a testing ground for authors to try their hands in the Star Wars universe before getting full novels and I'd certainly really like Sim to get the same treatment, preferably with Boba but I'd definitely be down to see whatever other ideas she might have of course. Here's hoping!

Thrawn: "Today we shall examine some pieces by an ancient race known as the Tolemites. A fascinating people with even more fascinating art. Observe the lining present on each work. What do you think this says about the Tolemites as a people?"

Critic: "I don't know man, just looks like more alien trash to me."

Thrawn: "Enoch, kill that man."

Enoch: (kills that man)

Thrawn: "My gratitude, Captain. Oh, before we properly begin... (Looks upward) Ezra Bridger, I assume you are still skulking about within the ship's ventilation system. I propose a temporary truce. Jedi too deserve the enrichment to be found in the arts."

Ezra: (falls out of vent) "Bet."

Humor aside, I would love to know more about what Thrawn and Ezra were up to on Peridea. I like to think they maybe worked together to survive for a bit before Thrawn found the Nightsisters and Ezra ran off with the Noti.

As self-proclaimed Beilert Valance #1 fan, I approve this message. They also talk this week about the new Cassian and Bad Batch comics so I'll leave the link if anyone's interested.

https://youtu.be/YVetBVyrGsY?si=JOT6iNzoPxW3KyB7

As I near the end of my Mandoverse rewatch I just wanted to take a moment to talk about Ahsoka and the fifth episode Shadow Warrior in particular. It has been one of my favorite Star Wars TV episodes ever since it was released and for me it still very much holds up on rewatch. So for just a few of the things I love about this episode:

1. The portrayal of Anakin. While Anakin has manifested in a way that he looks and acts "the same" as Ahsoka remembers this is still clearly the version who became Vader and was redeemed by the love of his son. His lines "you're never too old to learn" and "I've heard that before" (when Ahsoka says she won't fight him just as Luke did) go to show that this is a fully mature take on Anakin having learned from his days as both a Jedi and a Sith.

And speaking of his time as Vader: I really like that Anakin doesn't get to escape his legacy as Darth Vader just because he became a Jedi again in his final moments. Vader will always be a stain on Anakin's spirit but at least now he is able to use Vader for something good as he momentarily embraces the Vader persona in order to show Ahsoka that his mistakes do not define her. It is Ahsoka's role as the student to learn from both her master's teachings and his failings so it is only fitting that she must face Anakin at both his best and worst in order to grow beyond him.

2. Ahsoka's joy. Prior to this point in Ahsoka's Mandoverse appearances there was a certain sadness in her demeanor.

While not completely devoid of lighter moments this is clearly an Ahsoka who has become somewhat jaded, likely in large part due to having faced Vader back on Malachor. Once she saw and fought her former master again she could no longer live in denial of what he became (something she has likely been doing ever since Maul told her of Sidious's plans for Anakin on Mandalore) and thus come some hard questions about who Anakin really was and what that means for Ahsoka as his pupil, questions that Baylan Skoll reopened in their first duel. With Anakin's final lesson Ahsoka is finally able to let go of that uncertainty around her legacy and thus returns the full joy of the character, evident in her wonder at the Purgills and her playfulness in both dialogue and fighting. Although never explicitly stated I would say this is the moment Ahsoka again becomes a Jedi. As Anakin said he came to "finish her training" so now Ahsoka is all that she was meant to be.

3. The majesty of the Purgills. I don't think Star Wars emphasizes enough just how vast and wondrous the universe truly is but this is something that Ahsoka does very well especially in episode 5 with the Purgills. These are giant hyperspace whales: creatures that would have been legendary for being the first to travel between the stars. I love that we cut between all of the New Republic pilots as the Purgills pass through the fleet. Even for seasoned veterans seeing something like this is likely a once in a lifetime experience and I love that the show takes the time to show us that childlike wonder on all of their faces. (Fun fact: one of them is Brendan Wayne, the performer most often in the suit of Din Djarin for The Mandalorian).

Can't wait for Ahsoka season 2! If they can produce an episode on par or even better than Shadow Warrior I will be very pleased!

As I near the end of my Mandoverse rewatch I just wanted to take a moment to talk about Ahsoka and the fifth episode Shadow Warrior in particular. It has been one of my favorite Star Wars TV episodes ever since it was released and for me it still very much holds up on rewatch. So for just a few of the things I love about this episode:

1. The portrayal of Anakin. While Anakin has manifested in a way that he looks and acts "the same" as Ahsoka remembers this is still clearly the version who became Vader and was redeemed by the love of his son. His lines "you're never too old to learn" and "I've heard that before" (when Ahsoka says she won't fight him just as Luke did) go to show that this is a fully mature take on Anakin having learned from his days as both a Jedi and a Sith.

And speaking of his time as Vader: I really like that Anakin doesn't get to escape his legacy as Darth Vader just because he became a Jedi again in his final moments. Vader will always be a stain on Anakin's spirit but at least now he is able to use Vader for something good as he momentarily embraces the Vader persona in order to show Ahsoka that his mistakes do not define her. It is Ahsoka's role as the student to learn from both her master's teachings and his failings so it is only fitting that she must face Anakin at both his best and worst in order to grow beyond him.

2. Ahsoka's joy. Prior to this point in Ahsoka's Mandoverse appearances there was a certain sadness in her demeanor. While not completely devoid of lighter moments this is clearly an Ahsoka who has become somewhat jaded, likely in large part due to having faced Vader back on Malachor. Once she saw and fought her former master again she could no longer live in denial of what he became (something she has likely been doing ever since Maul told her of Sidious's plans for Anakin on Mandalore) and thus come some hard questions about who Anakin really was and what that means for Ahsoka as his pupil, questions that Baylan Skoll reopened in their first duel. With Anakin's final lesson Ahsoka is finally able to let go of that uncertainty around her legacy and thus returns the full joy of the character, evident in her wonder at the Purgills and her playfulness in both dialogue and fighting. Although never explicitly stated I would say this is the moment Ahsoka again becomes a Jedi. As Anakin said he came to "finish her training" so now Ahsoka is all that she was meant to be.

3. The majesty of the Purgills. I don't think Star Wars emphasizes enough just how vast and wondrous the universe truly is but this is something that Ahsoka does very well especially in episode 5 with the Purgills. These are giant hyperspace whales: creatures that would have been legendary for being the first to travel between the stars. I love that we cut between all of the New Republic pilots as the Purgills pass through the fleet. Even for seasoned veterans seeing something like this is likely a once in a lifetime experience and I love that the show takes the time to show us that childlike wonder on all of their faces. (Fun fact: one of them is Brendan Wayne, the performer most often in the suit of Din Djarin for The Mandalorian).

Can't wait for Ahsoka season 2! If they can produce an episode on par or even better than Shadow Warrior I will be very pleased!

Fox "News" with the hard-hitting headlines as per usual, lmao

Despite the usual calm demeanor of both characters Ahsoka and Baylan both react with extreme hostility when they believe their apprentices are in danger. Shin enters the scene and believing that can't mean anything good for Sabine, Ahsoka immediately Force-slams her into a wall. Seeing this, Baylan becomes far more aggressive as he pushes Ahsoka to the brink of the arena in seemingly one of the only instances of pure anger we've seen out of him thus far. Just a nice way that the show gives us a parallel between the two.

Can't wait for the season 2 rematch as well. A lot of Baylan's dialogue would seem to imply to me that he perhaps ran across Vader at one point which I think would be an interesting thing for him to discuss with Ahsoka. Perhaps that's what even drove him to the dark side in the first place, believing that it was a necessity for him to survive.

Article: https://www.starwars.com/news/maul-shadow-lord-season-1-finale

I highly recommend everyone to check out the article, they go into some great detail regarding the process of bringing Vader into the show and the implications that has for Maul.

Not that I wasn't already pretty sure of this but I'd say this quote is essentially confirmed that Brander Lawson is returning as he was the only witness to Maul's dark deed with Daki. I also suspect Dryden Vos is going to regret his deal with Maul sooner than later as we know he's absolutely terrified of him by the time of Solo.

For some extra context around this moment: when the rogue clones saw that Crosshair wasn't with the rest of the Batch, they detonated smoke bombs assuming that he was far off to provide cover fire, a natural assumption for both them and us as the reader. Good thing our Clone Force 99 is always a step ahead!

And we finally got to see Tech without his goggles for exactly one second, let's go!

With Maul and Kylo Ren both having received fantastic new stories this last year (Shadow Lord and Legacy of Vader) I've been thinking a lot about both and how well both stories portray the absolute misery that is truly life on the dark side.

One similarity that struck me in particular: Maul and Kylo both have a habit of coming right on the cusp of making either a healthy realization or a good decision only to almost immediately backslide right back into their dark ways.

In Maul's case I'd say Shadow Lord shows us two major instances of this. Firstly when Maul... I don't know if "forgives himself" are the right words but Maul at least accepts that Sidious, not himself or Obi-Wan was responsible for his lifetime of pain and loss. He's able to let go of a part of that hatred, that resentment he has for being molded by a power beyond him. And then when Maul and Daki fight Vader together we can clearly see that despite what Maul says about aggression he actually does listen to Daki's advice as they defend each other against the Dark Lord. Not to the point where they'd be anywhere close to winning that fight but still helping each other to survive. It's also worth noting Maul goes out of his way earlier to hold off the Inquisitors so Daki can escape first.

Now let's pivot to Kylo: Kylo too was molded and abused by Snoke for years and turned into a monster. Eventually and with Rey's help he's able to realize that he's never truly needed Snoke and is able to finally stop himself from suffering under him. A big part of Kylo's character too is his struggle with his family legacy. Snoke, Palpatine, Vanee, etc. all keep comparing him to Vader as if all he'll ever be is a faded copy of his grandfather but time and again we see Kylo reject this notion. As he says just before killing Vanee "I am already everything I need to be" which in and of itself is actually Kylo coming really close to a good realization. Aside from the murder part anyhow.

And yet time again both characters just can't help but backslide into the monsters they have become just when they might be about to make good decisions. Maul betrays Daki and thus throws away any chance he has of actually evolving in any meaningful way. Despite how much he hates Sidious he can't help but prove time and again that he is still what Sidious made him into and he will always be consumed by his hatred even in his dying moments. Kylo too cannot help but come to the precipice of change only to continually reject it. He kills Snoke only to take his place. He keeps attempting to reject the legacy of Darth Vader yet so many of his actions are dictated by his desire to follow in his footsteps. It's peak irony that Kylo delivers his line about being "everything he needs to be" while standing within Fortress Vader where he seeks to learn from Vader's example. Ben at least is not completely beyond redemption like Maul is but he too just can't seem to fully accept change even when it keeps presenting itself to him. Not until his final moments anyway.

Anyways I've yapped about both Maul and Kylo extensively so I figured they were both due for a crossover yap lol. Thanks to those who read all this and happy Revenge of the Sixth!

Spybot was the best of us. He shall be missed.

In many ways and as much as he would hate to admit it, Maul is still very much the pupil of Darth Sidious. He's a master manipulator on an organizational level, just applying his skills to the underworld rather than the galaxy at large to become a "Shadow Lord" just like his master. And on a more personal level we see with Ezra, Ahsoka, and especially Devon that also like Sidious, Maul too is a master of using someone's own existing beliefs and fears to twist them towards his own ends. He never once lies to any of his potential allies or pupils, he seizes upon what's already going through their heads and uses them to bring them towards his side.

The key difference is this: Sidious ENJOYS it. When Dooku fell to the dark side and killed Yaddle, he was happy as could be. When Anakin learns Padme's fate and thus fully becomes Vader.... I mean just look at him. Palpy looks like he's having the best day of his life. Sidious is a true sadist in that he clearly derives pleasure from having sunk someone else to their moral and emotional limits. Sidious loves breaking people perhaps more than anything.

Compare this to Maul in the Shadow Lord season 1 finale. He finds Devon as she has finally embraced her darkness to avenge Daki and despite this being clearly Maul's goal from his very first line of dialogue in this show...there is not an ounce of satisfaction on his face. He takes no pleasure from this. Maul knows exactly what he is and he hates it. He does not enjoy seeing Devon being dragged down to his level. In Maul's mind, his way is a grim necessity. He will do what must be done to make sure Sidious cannot do to anyone else what was done to him even if by doing so he must be a hypocrite and drag Devon down to the depths to do so. And I love that he never once gloats or shoots Devon a look to say "haha I was right". Whenever Maul looks at Devon following Daki's death it's just understanding and pain. He knows there is ultimately no salvation, no good ending for Devon down this path but at least neither will be alone walking down it.

All in all this show has just been phenomenal. I love that they added so many more layers of understanding and sympathy to Maul while never once taking away from just how monstrous he really is. He may have been indoctrinated since his youth but at some point he still takes accountability for his own actions so yes we can feel sorry for Maul and just how broken and miserable he's doomed to always be but still condemn him for everything he's done and will do.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk and May the Fourth Be With You!

In many ways and as much as he would hate to admit it, Maul is still very much the pupil of Darth Sidious. He's a master manipulator on an organizational level, just applying his skills to the underworld rather than the galaxy at large to become a "Shadow Lord" just like his master. And on a more personal level we see with Ezra, Ahsoka, and especially Devon that also like Sidious, Maul too is a master of using someone's own existing beliefs and fears to twist them towards his own ends. He never once lies to any of his potential allies or pupils, he seizes upon what's already going through their heads and uses them to bring them towards his side.

The key difference is this: Sidious ENJOYS it. When Dooku fell to the dark side and killed Yaddle, he was happy as could be. When Anakin learns Padme's fate and thus fully becomes Vader.... I mean just look at him. Palpy looks like he's having the best day of his life. Sidious is a true sadist in that he clearly derives pleasure from having sunk someone else to their moral and emotional limits. Sidious loves breaking people perhaps more than anything.

Compare this to Maul in the Shadow Lord season 1 finale. He finds Devon as she has finally embraced her darkness to avenge Daki and despite this being clearly Maul's goal from his very first line of dialogue in this show...there is not an ounce of satisfaction on his face. He takes no pleasure from this. Maul knows exactly what he is and he hates it. He does not enjoy seeing Devon being dragged down to his level. In Maul's mind, his way is a grim necessity. He will do what must be done to make sure Sidious cannot do to anyone else what was done to him even if by doing so he must be a hypocrite and drag Devon down to the depths to do so. And I love that he never once gloats or shoots Devon a look to say "haha I was right". Whenever Maul looks at Devon following Daki's death it's just understanding and pain. He knows there is ultimately no salvation, no good ending for Devon down this path but at least neither will be alone walking down it.

All in all this show has just been phenomenal. I love that they added so many more layers of understanding and sympathy to Maul while never once taking away from just how monstrous he really is. He may have been indoctrinated since his youth but at some point he still takes accountability for his own actions so yes we can feel sorry for Maul and just how broken and miserable he's doomed to always be but still condemn him for everything he's done and will do.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk and May the Fourth Be With You!

Poor Daki. Guy was always screwed regardless but Maul straight up used him to give Devon that final push towards the dark side. All things considered he actually did pretty well against Vader as well.